Question

How do people affect the land?

Answer 1

Man has a profound effect on the land, in many ways, and has done so for about 10k years with the advent Agriculture. This in itself has a marked influence on land through several mediums, land clearing, leading to deforestation on a global scale. Grazing has lead to increased greenhouse gasses and large tracts of land made suitable for livestock grazing. Deforestation is still happening today on a massive scale endangering the very  ecosystem we depend on. We use open cast and other mining methods, transforming landscapes as we go. Divert river courses and create dams flooding thousands of miles around the globe. Our emissions induce global warming which in turn has caused sea levels to rise, which are due to rise further, devastating coast lines and possibly changing the landscape forever. The chemicals we use in our pesticides and fungicides and those used to fertilize our crops leach into soils where they eventually enter our waterways, which can poison aquatic life and encourage weed and algae growth. Also chemicals irresponsibly disposed of by industry can affect our soil and water quality causing many ill effects to man and animals alike. Many of the worlds pollinators are disappearing for the same reason. We build towns and cities on the land using materials that often come from that same land. Of course we effect the land in many other ways as well. However, it's not just mankind that has an influence, many animals and plants (for instance, grasses and trees bind the soil and prevent soil erosion) have a immense effect too.